Battery post terminal connecter



Sept. 5, 1933 c. SPENCE 1,925,5(97

BATTERY POST TERMINAL CONNECTER Filed Jan. 25, 1952 IN VEN TOR a/Zsfipier jkalicc;

Patented Sept. 5, 1933 BATTERY POST TERMINAL CONNECTER Christopher Spence, Jersey City, N. J.

Application January 25, 1932. Serial No. 588,557

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in means for connecting conductors to terminal posts of electric storage batteries; and the invention has reference, more particularly, to a novel terminal connecter having means to couple a desired conductor thereto, said connecter being adapted to provide a strong mechanical anchorage of the conductor inoperative electrical engagement with a battery terminal post.

This invention has for its principal object to provide a novel form of battery terminal post coupling or connecter provided with a manipulatable locking cam to efficiently cure the same to the post in firmly anchored relation thereto, and in such manner that risk of accidental displacement thereof from the post by reason of vibration, jars, knocks or other dislocating causes is eliminated, while at the same time affording a locking means which can also be quickly and easily released for disconnecting the connecter from the post.

Another object of this invention is to provide a terminal post coupling or connecter which is not likely to freeze to'the post under the eiliects of corrosion, and which may be easily released from its locked engagement with the post notwithstanding the occurrence of corrosive effects.

Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particular y enumerated, will become apparent in the following detailed description of the invention.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a top-plan view of the novel terminal connector as 'operatively engaged with a battery terminal post; Fig. 2 is a side view and part section, taken on line 2-2 in 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical section, taken on line 3-3 in 1; Fig. 1- is a transverse section taken on line ii in Fig. 1, the battery terminal post being omitted; 5 is a transverse section, taken on line 5-5 in Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 is a vertical section, similar to that of Fig. 8, but showing the locking cam in released position. 7

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

In said drawing, the reference character 19 indicates a battery provided with the customary upwardly projecting lead terminal post 11, to which is connected a suitable conductor of an electrical circuit to be supplied by the battery, in this case said conductor being in the form of a cable 12.

The novel coupling or connector for detachably connecting the cable 12 mechanically and electrically with the battery post 11 comprises a yoke member having a semi-circular inner end portion 13, the inside diameter of which approximates the diameter of the battery post 11; said yokemember having laterally spaced side arms 14 extending outwardly from the respective sides of said inner end portion 13. Connected with the outer side of said inner end portion 13 of the yoke-member, preferably as an integral part thereof, is a transverse socket member 15 provided with a cavity 16 open at one, end thereof. The bared wires 17 of the cable 12 are inserted into the cavity 16 of said socket member 15, and immovably secured in such relation by solder, or in any other suitable way calculated to strongly unite the cable to the coupling or connector.

Formed at the inner surface of said semicircular end portion 13 of the yoke member are one or more vertical and preferably sharp edged ribs 18.

The side arms 14 of the yoke-member are provided with bearings 19 in transversely aligned relation, the same being preferably of slightly elongated form, as indicated in Fig. 2 of the draw-- ing. The reference character 29 indicates a locking cam having journals or trunnions 21 at its opposite sides to respectively engage in the re-. spective bearing openings 19 of the side arms 14 of said yoke member, thus rotatably mounting said locking cam between said side arms and in opposed relation to the seat 22 provided by the interior semi-circular surface of the inner end portion of said yoke-member. Said locking cam with a substantially flat face 23 at one side thereof I and eccentric peripheral face 2 1 preferably of concave cross sectional formation, so as to more or less conform to the cylindrical surface 01 the battery post when operatively opposed thereto. The lateral margins of said eccentric peripheral face 24 of the locking cam are preferably provided with serrated or toothed formations 25. In the broader aspects of this invention, however, the form and extent of said serrated or toothed formations 25 may be more or less widely varied, and in some cases even entirely omitted. For example,

- the said serrated or toothed formations may be arranged to extend across the entire surface of the eccentric peripheral face 2 1, or this face 2 1 may be roughened by knurling. Extending diametrically through the body of the locking cam are one or more wrench receiving openings or holes 26, two such being shown, for purposes of illustration, arranged at right angles one to the other. The relative dimensions of the side arms 14 of the and rotative displacement from the post.

yoke member and the sides of the looking cam 20 are such that the locking cam is completely guarded by the margins of said side arms, and consequently when the locking arm is set to locking position it is shielded against accidental blows or knocks which might tend to loosen the same from such locking position.

To operatively apply the novel coupling or connecter to the battery post 11, the locking cam 20 is turned to present its flat face in perpendicular plane parallel to the battery post. With the looking cam thus disposed the yoke-member may be slid downwardly over the post so as to embrace the latter between the seat 22 and the locking cam. When the parts are disposed in this relation, the locking cam may be rotated to carry its eccentric peripheral face 24 into binding or gripping relation to the battery post. This is accomplished by engaging a suitable implement, such as the pin Wrench 2'7, in one of the openings or holes 26 of the locking cam, and thereupon utilizing said pin wrench as a lever to turn the locking cam on its journals or trunnions 21, in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 3, to thereby carry the eccentric peripheral face 24 of the looking cam into operative gripping engagement with the battery post. This movement of the locking cam first operates to draw the seat 22 of the yoke-member tightly against the post, while at the same time causing, by the pressure exerted, to imbed the gripping ribs 18 in the engaged or seated surface of the post, thus firmly and securely gripping the post on one side, to hold the coupling connection both against longitudinal The eccentric peripheral face 24 of the locking com, owing to its eccentricity, will be caused to firmly grip the opposite side of the post, so as to resist upward displacement of the yoke-member from the latter; in fact, any force tending to draw the the yoke member will shield the cam against any accidental blows, knocks or jars tending to loosen the same. Owing to the rotative action by which the locking cam functions, any accumulations upon the post or parts of the coupling or con- -necter will be easily displaced, when turning the cam for release thereof, and consequently tendency t0 stubbornly freeze the connecter or coupling to the post, causing difficulty in removing the one from the other when desired, is elimi-' 'nated.

To release the locking earn, the pin wrench 27 is again inserted in one of the openings or holes 26 thereof, and swung upwardly to reversely rotate the cam until its fiat face 23 is again perpendicular and parallel to the side of the battery post. When the cam is thus disposed, the

yoke member is tapped, by striking the ends of the side arms 14, thereby easily and quickly loosening the seat 22 from any adherence to the battery post, While at the same time withdrawing the gripping ribs 18 from engaged relation to the post, the parts thereupon assuming the positions shown in Fig. 6 of the drawing, whereafter the yoke member may be easily withdrawn over the end and thus from the post, to disenthe coupling or connecter from the latter.

From the above description it Will be obvious that the present invention provides a very simple and yet highly efiicient coupling or connecter for attaching a conductor to a battery terminal post. The nature of the locking means serving the coupling or connector is such that, not only is the same effectively shielded from jars or knocks which might tend to accidentally loosen the same from the post, but also is of such character that vibration and jolting, such as occurs in connection with automotive uses, will have no tendency to loosen the coupling or connecter from its 0perative locked relation to the battery post.

I am aware that various changes could be made the above described construction of terminal post coupling or connecter, and that many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof; consequently it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as iillustrative and not in a limit-, ing sense.

I claim:-

1. In a device of the kind described, a yoke 110 member having a socket element exteriorly conneoted therewith to receive attachment of a conductor, said yoke member having at its inner end an internal seat to embrace one side of a battery post and side arms to straddle said post, 115 said side arms having elongated bearing openings therein, and a locking cam having trunnions journaled in said bearing openings to rotatively mount the cam between said arms while also permitting at times bodily movement of said yoke 120 relative to said cam. a

2. In a device of the kind described, a yoke member having socket element exteriorly connected therewith to receive attachment of a conductor, said yoke member having at its inner end 25 an internal seat to embrace one side of a battery post and having side arms to straddle said post, said side arms having elongated bearing openings therein, a locking cam having trunnions j ournaled in said bearing openings to rotatively mount the 130 cam between said arms while also permitting at times bodily movement of said yoke relative to said. cam, said cam having a fiat face at one side and an eccentric face at the other side of its periphery, said eccentric face being of transverse- 135 ly concave shape and having at its marginal side portions roughening serrations, and said cam having means to receive application of an actuating implement.

CHRISTOPHER SPENCE. 

